Auto Accidents and Bodily Injury Claims Highest in Massachusetts in 80’s and 90’s

I found the following article from Collision Insight very interesting.  The article claims that based on statistical analysis, Massachusetts led the nation in automobile accidents and bodily injury claims in the 80’s and 90’s.  Here is the article:

"According to a recent study by the Insurance Research Council, auto accident claims, measured by property damage claims, have fallen by 17 percent from 1980 to 1998. Auto accidents dropped to 4.09 per 100 insured cars in 1998 from 4.94 in 1980.  In the same period, bodily injury claims resulting from those accidents increased 33 percent, from 0.88 per 100 insured cars in 1980 to 1.17 in 1998. The injury rate has, however, been declining slightly but steadily since its high of 1.22 in 1995. Safer roads, better vehicle safety design, and campaigns against drunk driving have contributed to the improvement.  Accident and injury rates, as well as claims costs, vary from state to state, with Massachusetts at the top in accident rate (7.06 per 100 insured cars) and bodily injury claims (2.29 per 100 insured cars)."